An award-winning litigator and crisis communications strategist, Jessica is licensed to practice law before all Colorado state courts, the Federal District Court of Colorado, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and before the U.S. Supreme Court.  

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Family Law Litigation & Non-Contested Case Resolution

 

At the core of Jessica's practice: protecting the rights and interests of children and parents.  See our full list of practice areas here. 

 

To date, Jessica has represented clients in more than 200 contested litigation matters before family courts and juvenile courts across Colorado. She regularly handles adjudication of emergency custody motions and domestic abuse protection (restraining) orders, where allegations can and often do implicate  serious family violence, substance abuse, child sex abuse, mental illness and parental incapacitation, and much more.  Jessica represents the rights of the accused, as well as the rights of victims.

 

Outside court, Jessica is a certified family law mediator, where she champions amicable resolution of divorce, civil union, common law, and custody cases whenever reasonably possible. In this capacity, clients benefit from her advanced training in financial forecasting and her sustained interest in forensic evaluation of business records and financial disclosures.

 

In addition to family and juvenile law, Jessica also represents children and parents in educational hearings and before school boards on questions concerning disability protections (IDEA/504/IEP/ADA), delinquency, and emergency accommodation requests tied to mental health/medical emergencies.

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During the state legislative session, Jessica can often be found under Colorado's Capitol dome in Denver, where she assists lawmakers and legislative staff with drafting and lobbying of proposed statutory changes introduced to improve the functionality of (and access to) Colorado’s legal system, with a specific focus on ensuring due process for all parties of interest involved in domestic, educational, and juvenile legal proceedings.

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At present, Jessica is the named plaintiff in a closely watched federal lawsuit challenging Colorado’s statutory rules specific to child abuse investigations.   Jessica filed the case after she discovered caseworker misconduct in a pair of cases arising from the deaths of young children. 

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Accolades & Appointments 

 

Named a top Colorado education law practitioner and ADR expert by SuperLawyers magazine, 2019.

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AVVO, Client’s Choice Award, 2019, 2018. 

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Recognized as a top Colorado family law litigator by the National Institute of Family Law Attorneys, 2013-2019.

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Appointed to serve Colorado’s Behavioral Health Task Force, where she currently sits on the state’s juvenile mental health subcommittee. 

 

Served as a 2018 campaign advisor (on education law and higher education reform) to now-Gov. Jared Polis. 

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Nominated by the Denver Business Journal's as a top woman in Colorado Business.

 

U.S. Civil Rights Commission's Colorado Advisory Committee: previously served as chair to the sub-committee on educational due process.

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U.S. State Department/One World Denver: previously served as a mentor on legal/judicial issues to emerging leaders from Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. 

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Spokeswoman to Colorado’s groundbreaking statewide 2012 marijuana legalization initiative.

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Media Experience

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Jessica began her career as reporter for Gannett, followed by her tenure as a U.S. Senate Press Secretary in Washington, D.C. As a syndicated and freelance columnist over more recent years, her analysis has been featured by The Denver Post, Human Events, and Huffington Post, among others.  At the cutting edge of multiple areas of national legal and policy debate today, Jessica's fiercely non-partisan commentary and analysis are often featured by local and national media.  

See our media page here.  You can view our journal articles and academic publications here. 

Education & Fellowships

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Juris Doctor, University of Denver, Sturm College of Law

Awarded a full tuition Chancellor’s Scholarship. 

 

M.A., Government, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.

Founding Co-Editor, Johns Hopkins Journal of American Politics

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B.S., Broadcast Journalism/ Political Science,

University of Colorado at Boulder.

 

Jessica has been awarded prestigious fellowships at a variety of respected international institutions, including but not limited to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic. 

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Personal

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Jessica and her family live in Denver, together with their amazingly perfect dog, Mr. Gregory Peck.  Jessica is an obsessive traveler, having traveled to all 50 U.S. states and more than 50 countries around the globe. 

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